Cornell was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and attended Shorewood High School,

Soundgarden was formed in 1984 by Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil and Hiro Yamamoto, with Cornell originally on drums and vocals,

Cornell and composer David Arnold collaborated on the song "You Know My Name", which Cornell co-wrote and performed and which accompanies the opening titles for the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale.

Temple of the Dog was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave as a tribute to his friend.